The Tigers are finally starting to turn things around
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AP Photo/Duane Burleson
Catcher Brandon Inge congratulates Marcus Thames after the Tigers' sixth straight win.
UNCAGED
By Mark Simon, ESPN Research
The Tigers are back on track. A sweep of the Dodgers gave Detroit six straight wins and moved it to within six games of the American League Central lead. Quite simply, the Tigers are now hitting the ball as they expected -- as everyone expected -- coming into the season.They'll get a bigger test in their next two road series, in San Francisco and San Diego, places where the ball doesn't fly out of the ballpark with much regularity.
MONDAY NIGHT BASEBALL |
| • Red Sox at Phillies, 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN |
| Inside the sweep | ||
| Dodgers | Tigers | |
| Runs | 11 | 22 |
| Batting average | .245 | .362 |
| Home Runs | 2 | 6 |
| Walks | 3 | 10 |
| Tigers' past six games | |
| W-L | 6-0 |
| Runs per game | 5.8 |
| Team batting average | .345 |
| Home runs | 8 |
FORWARD THINKING: MONDAY
• Red Sox at Phillies, 7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN: Before his most recent outing, Cole Hamels (6-4, 3.27 ERA) had eight strikeouts in his three previous starts combined. Last time out, against Florida, he whiffed 13 against just one walk. The Bartolo Colon (4-1, 3.41 ERA) experiment has worked out well so far. He has gone seven innings only once, though, in five starts.
• Braves at Rockies, 8:05 p.m. ET: Jair Jurrjens (6-3, 3.77 ERA) returns to the mound after being scratched from his start Wednesday after twisting his ankle at Wrigley Field. He has not pitched since June 5. Ubaldo Jimenez (1-6, 4.93 ERA) has not won since April 8, his second start of the season. He did, however, pitch well in his most recent start, when he went seven innings without giving up a run against San Francisco.
• Tigers at Giants, 10:15 p.m. ET: The Tigers' offense has seemingly gotten things squared away. Now, they hope to get Justin Verlander (3-9, 4.65 ERA) headed down the right path. He showed signs last time, tossing a complete game against the White Sox. Tim Lincecum (8-1, 1.99 ERA) has not lost since April 29, a stretch of nine starts. In his most recent start, he walked away with a no-decision despite tossing seven scoreless innings.
• Complete list of pitching probables for Monday's games
NEWS AND NOTES
• Josh Johnson, out since August 2007 after having Tommy John surgery, made his first rehab start, allowing two runs while striking out seven for Class A Greensboro. Johnson went 0-3 in four starts last season.
• Cleveland had hoped Travis Hafner, out since May 30 with a sore right shoulder, would begin a rehab assignment this week. Manager Eric Wedge said, however, that Hafner is not ready to begin playing and will wait some more.
• Chase Utley went 0-for-3 in Sunday's 10-inning loss against the Cardinals, snapping his 21-game hitting streak against St. Louis. Utley also committed a costly error in the 10th inning of the loss.
• Rangers infielder Hank Blalock, who had carpal tunnel syndrome surgery May 30, is expected to begin a rehab stint today with Triple-A Oklahoma. Blalock is hitting .299 in 22 games this season.
BBTN ON THE AIR: MONDAY
| TIME | WHO'S ON? |
| 10 p.m. ET ESPN |
Host: Dari Nowkhah Analysts: Buster Olney, John Kruk, Chris Singleton |
| 12 a.m. ET ESPN |
Host: Dari Nowkhah Analysts: Buster Olney, John Kruk, Chris Singleton |
BBTN MINUTE: WILLIE RANDOLPH UNDER FIRE
SUNDAY DOUBLE PLAY
Every Sunday on the 12:30 p.m. ET "Baseball Tonight" show, Karl Ravech, John Kruk and Steve Phillips take part in the Sunday Double Play competition. Each of them selects a starting pitcher and a hitter to play for Sunday's games. They compete in three categories -- wins, hits and home runs -- based on the results of their selections. The results are cumulative for the season.
This Sunday's pitcher selections and results:
John: Brett Myers (no-decision vs. Cardinals)
Steve: Josh Beckett (win vs. Reds)
Karl: C.C. Sabathia (win vs. Padres)
This Sunday's hitter selections and results:
John: J.D. Drew (1 hit, 1 HR vs. Reds)
Steve: David Wright (3 hits, 0 HR in two games vs. Rangers)
Karl: Justin Morneau (1 hit, 0 HR vs. Brewers)
Here are the standings after the first 11 Sundays:
| Wins | Hits | HRs | |
| John | 3 | 14 | 1 |
| Steve | 4 | 12 | 0 |
| Karl | 6 | 10 | 3 |
Tune in to "Baseball Tonight" at 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday for the latest Sunday Double Play selections.
TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME
To commemorate the 100-year anniversary of baseball's most famous tune, "Baseball Tonight" has asked nine popular musical artists to record a rendition of the song and engage in a battle of the bands.
Take a listen. "Baseball Tonight": Battle of the Bands
SUNDAY'S NOTEWORTHY PERFORMANCES
| GOOD |
 • Ricky Nolasco made sure the Marlins avoided a sweep at the hands of the Rays by striking out 12 in the win in Sunday's series finale. |
BAD |
 • Even though the Tigers won, reliever Bobby Seay made it hard by giving up three runs without recording an out in the ninth against the Dodgers. |
UGLY |
 • Roy Oswalt was the first in a line of Houston pitchers beat around by the Yankees on Sunday, a day in which the Astros gave up 13 runs and 15 hits. |
FANTASY: PREVIEW OF MONDAY'S GAMES
Adam Madison examines the pitching matchups in store for the five games on Monday's schedule of mostly interleague games.
Madison also looks at current injuries and details player reports that could help shape the way you put together your roster for Monday's games. Daily Notes
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